Bach and The Lark Ascending Highlight Spring Recital in Cedar City
By Sara Penny
You are invited to a recital of Bach and Vaughan Williams on Saturday, May 17 at 7 PM at the SUU Music Building. This free event is open to the public.
Dr. Ling Yu, violist, is hosting the community recital. She will be performing a Bach suite for cello, transcribed for viola. Peter Firth will play a Bach prelude and courante for violin. Sara Penny and Sally Hunter Jensen will present the Bach E Major Violin Concerto with dancers from the John Mead Dance Company. Kasey Hinton will perform The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams with Jensen.
Dr. Yu has performed extensively with the Orchestra of Southern Utah as well as in her native China. She earned her Doctorate in Viola Performance from the University of Utah and teaches viola at SUU. She also works with the Canyon View Middle School Orchestra and teaches in the dual immersion Chinese program at Fiddlers Elementary School.
The John Mead Dance Company (JMDC) is a new professional dance company based in Cedar City. Four dancers from the company will be featured in the recital: Delaney Deutschlander, Kloë Giles, Adeline Lawlor, and Mei Chian Lim. JMDC will present its debut performance at the Heritage Theater in October and has received a mini-grant from the Cedar City Arts Council to help with expenses. Mead is a professional choreographer and dancer who was previously a company member of the Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) in Salt Lake City and the founder and artistic director of his own dance companies in both New York City and Singapore.
Sally Hunter Jensen is an accomplished vocalist, pianist, and actress. She will be one of the pianists for the rock musical Tommy with American Crossroads Theater this summer and was recently seen in Into the Woods. She has performed extensively in community theater as well as at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and SUU. She also serves as the membership director and administrative assistant for the Cedar City Arts Council.
Kasey Hinton plays violin or viola with the Orchestra of Southern Utah, as needed. He is a computer programmer with the Leavitt Group and enjoys music as an avocation. He and his wife Courtney have three children.
Peter Firth began playing the violin shortly before his fifth birthday, with his first teacher, Sara Penny. He has also studied under Amy Gold and Lindsay Szczesny, and currently studies with Dr. Xun Sun. Peter also plays flute in two Cedar Middle School bands. He is the youngest of six siblings and raises chickens in his spare time.
Sara Penny performs with the Orchestra of Southern Utah and serves on its board. She is vice president of the Cedar City Arts Council and directed Suzuki Strings Cedar City for 36 years. She was recently honored for her service to the arts by the Cedar City Chamber of Commerce.
The musicians and dancers hope you will join them for a spring evening of music.
Event Details at a Glance
Spring Recital: Bach, The Lark Ascending, and John Mead Dance Company
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Time: 7 PM
Location: Thorley Recital Hall, SUU Music Building, Cedar City, UT
Admission: Free
Performers: Dr. Ling Yu, Peter Firth, Sally Hunter Jensen, Kasey Hinton, Sara Penny
Featuring: Dancers from the John Mead Dance Company
